South Korea Goes to the Polls

 South Korea has gone to the polls this morning. With the belief appearing to be that if more than 73% of people turn out to vote then "progressive" Moon Jae-in will win, while less than 70% will make it a win for the conservative darling Park Geun-hye, the day's left wing papers ran with exhortations to vote. In the case of Hankyoreh this meant a piece of abstract art extolling the virtues of standing in line in the cold; meanwhile, the Kyunghyang channeled the death of Emily Davison in 1913 instead.

I took the temperature of democratic fervor in Jangan-dong at 7AM, and can confirm that it was resolutely lukewarm. However, we can expect it to heat up during the day. Will it reach 73%? currently the statistics suggest not, but we'll see.

On the right, Mrs. Green shows her dedication to the good fight, perhaps also channeling Miss Davison following her marriage to a Brit? Who knows. Note to the bottom right a statement declaring that Unified Progressive Party candidate Lee Jung-hee is not on the ballot. Just say no to extremist socialism, kids.

Phones, Phones and More Phones?

A pithy moment from my latest piece for SinoNK, which you can read more of right here:

However, the pain is actually quite a long way short of being over. In a moment of uncharacteristic efficiency, the actual cell phone shop is often directly outside the communications office, but in a moment of karma-balancing inefficiency, it doesn’t open much, carries a limited amount of product and is pitifully understaffed. As a result, queues are long, as are waits. Assuming an individual lives long enough to reach the front of such a queue, he or she is finally offered the opportunity to hand over another $70-$100 and depart the scene with a brand new phone.

Can't Get There from Here

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sunshine policy, and Moon Chung-in is all for it! But I and my good friend Steven Denney are less enthusiastic here.

Let the Chopped Branches Speak

A piece I published at Asia Sentinel on October 19th, 2012:

With phrases like “economic improvement measure” swirling around Kim Il-sung Square as short skirts in Pyongyang inspire whispered talk of greater freedom for the masses, 2012 has turned into a year of hope for the DPRK.

In such circumstances, it is no surprise that the talk of the town this week is an unusually frank, open interview given to former Finnish Minister of Defense Elisabeth Rehn by a suave young man named Kim Han-sol.

Any Han-sol interview was always going to be a point of interest for the international community. As Kim Jong-il’s grandson, he’s nominally close to the center of the family and, as the interview reveals, speaks English like a native. The interview content doesn’t disappoint, either; holed up in an international college in the Bosnian city of Mostar, the young man speaks of a Libyan roommate thrilled by the overthrow of Colonel Qaddafi, of interaction with South Korean friends, of his father’s disinterest in politics, and of his sadness at never “being sought out” by his grandfather.

Nice Words from Old Friends

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